Chapter 1 The permian earth

Publisher Summary The Permian (about 290–250 Ma) was a time of immense global change and unique paleogeographic configurations. Climate conditions evolved from a glacial icehouse Earth to a hothouse Earth. Land masses were assembled into one great continent of Pangea that extended from pole to pole and the mega-ocean Panthalassa dominated the Earth's surface. Climatic and oceanic conditions were favorable for the formation of vast quantities of energy resources and mineral deposits, such as petroleum, coal, phosphorite, and evaporites. During the Late Permian, central northern Pangea was rocked by the outpouring of voluminous volcanic eruptions that produced the Siberian traps. The Permian ended with the greatest mass extinction of biota recorded in Earth history. The International Union of Geological Science's (IUGS) International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has adopted a subdivision of the Permian that includes three Epochs that are divided into nine Stages—four Stages, three Stages, and two Stages for the Cisuralian, Guadalupian, and Lopingian Epochs, respectively.